Nacht Jager Heinkel He 219A-7 "Uhu" 1:32 Revell

[Mike]

Heinkel He 219A-7 "Uhu"

1:32 Revell

The He219 had a troubled beginning, due to the internal wranglings of the various chiefs of departments within the Nazi hierarchy. Its gestation was long and significant changes were made with constant rejection for being too complex a common feature. Eventually, the prototype of the project that became the 219 was funded privately, and was rejected initially by the RLM in favour of other existing designs, but was eventually commissioned by the then commander of Night Fighter operations, Josef Kammhuber. Erhard Milch was so angry at his decision that he ousted him from his position and tried to sabotage the aircraft on numerous occasions.

Despite the bitter internal wranglings within the RLM that were typical of the time, the 219 flew, and any problems were soon ironed out. Much was planned for the aircraft, including better engines, larger wings and a re-designed fuselage, but due to late war shortages and bomb damage, the only airframes that reached actual production were the A series. The A-2 had extended engine nacelles compared to the initial A-0, which housed additional fuel, while the A-5 only reached prototype stage, and was proposed as a 3-seater night-fighter variant. The A-7 was the most produced, totalling over 200 by the time records became a bit sketchy. It was powered by the later DB603E engines that produced more power, which coupled with weight-saving measures could breach 400mph, enabling them to catch the previously immune Mosquito, and several unsubstantiated claims were made by the crews flying the bomber streams at night.

Of the other proposals, a few D models with Jumo 213 engines were delivered for evaluation, while the B and C models were held up by the elusive and troublesome Jumo 222 engines that dogged a large number of RLM projects toward the end of WWII. At the end of the war, several examples were taken for evaluation by the British and Americans, as the technology integrated such as the ejector seats, tricycle landing gear and the advanced radar were deemed to be rather interesting to the victors. Very few airframes survive to this day, with one in the US, and another recently salvaged off the shores of Denmark, details of which you can find here.

The Kit

I love the sleek purposeful look of this aircraft, so when it was announced I was very keen to lay my hands on one. I call big kits of my favourite aircraft "scale-breakers", as I usually stick to 1:48 for aircraft. Revell have a habit of producing scale-breakers in 1:32 for me, such as their excellent Ju.88, and their competent He.111. I was interested to see whether this kit would be closer in style and quality to the 88, or the 111, and I'm happy to say that it is more akin to the 88 in terms of detail.

Inside the large top-opening box are a host of sprues on Revell's usual mid grey styrene. There are twelve sprues of parts, plus two more in clear styrene, giving options of three canopy types. The standard "hyper-busy" Revell instructions, and a set of decals on a large rectangular sheet.

First impressions are good. Surface detail is very nicely rendered, and subtle panel lines with accompanying rivets are present on the outer surfaces, while cockpit and bay detail is well up to standard. Glazing is thin and clear, and the choice of three variants out of the box is very welcome, even down to the planned three-seater, although documentation of the various differences isn't particularly well explained during construction. In an effort to assist, I've rustled up some generalisations for you. Always check your references though!

• The A-2 had Schragemuzik upward firing cannon installed plus 2 wing root and 2 outer vental cannons installed. Radar antennae on the nose were FuG 220, often canted to 45^o to reduce interference.
  
• The A-5 was to be either a two or a three-seater, with the /R4 subtype having a rear gunner sitting in an aft extension to the cockpit behind the two existing seats. Sadly, the /R4 is not covered in this kit. Radar antennae on the nose were FuG 220, often canted to 45^o to reduce interference.
  
• The A-7 had Schragemuzik upward firing cannon installed plus 2 wing root and 4 ventral cannons installed. It also had the rearward Radar Warning Neptun R1 aerials and vertical forward facing FuG 218 antennae. The Naxos Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) was also sometimes installed in a blister on top of the canopy, but as it proved rather fragile in use, it wasn't always installed.

To be sure of the various installations, you will need to check your references, and at the very least get some clues from the painting guides as to which items were installed on the particular machine that you are planning to build.

The build of this interesting beast starts with the cockpit naturally enough, and Revell have managed to squeeze a substantial amount of detail into this cramped area. The side consoles are moulded into the cockpit tub, and detail there is crisp. A pair of large side braces that include some structural detail that forms the sidewalls of the nose gear bay. There is also some nicely done panel and rivet detail on the underside of the cockpit tub, which doubles as the roof for the nose gear bay. The two crew seats are installed next, with the pilot's seat having a large rail for his ejector seat. The rear crew seat doesn't appear to have the trappings associated with an ejector seat, so I guess the radar operator wasn't considered to be as indispensable as the pilot. A set of rudder pedals are provided, but they are a little chunky, inviting replacement with some suitable Photo-Etch (PE) parts, while the seats themselves are neatly rendered from a number of parts, making for good detail. The pilot's instrument panel is a single part, but has a host of dial detail on the surface, which can be painted up and then further detailed with the supplied instrument panel decals that can be found on the decal sheet. Rather than go for full coverage in once decal, each instrument face is supplied separately, which will ease the task no end. Simple add a drop of gloss varnish to the face of each instrument once installed, and the panel will look pretty good. A few additional decals are supplied for the side consoles, which shows a good attention to detail. A single-piece foot well for the pilot caps the front of the cockpit, and the coaming with its hinged armoured panel to protect the pilot in head-on attacks is installed along with the permanent glass panel that sits behind it.

The radio and radar gear are supplied as a combination of all of the boxes in one part, with another part making up the blank rear of the assembly. For three of the colour schemes the topmost box on the left is removed as it is not required for those airframes. Here it gets a little confusing though, as construction phase 12 shows a flat part that isn't given a number. Looking around the sprues there doesn't seem to be a corresponding part or decal (the decal icon is present) so this reviewer is nonplussed. I'm sure someone will enlighten me though, and if so I'll update this section of the review, although I suspect it just means that the box that is removed isn't replaced. The control box for the Naxos is added to the top of the rear instrument panel much later in the build for some reason – probably due to the Naxos antenna being installed in the canopy around that time. Before the cockpit can be sandwiched between the fuselage halves, a small section of the upper tail needs removing if you are going either of the A-7 machines, to accommodate the mounting lug for the Neptun antenna.

The fuselage halves are complete apart from the holes provided for the cockpit and nose gear bay, but they have a flat upper surface that runs for over half the length, and a shorter length on the underside that roughly lines up with the positioning of the wings. These sections are covered by inserts that hint at other versions down the line… or not. Look how long we had to wait for the two seat Eurofighter in 1:48! A pair of T-shaped parts sit in the fuselage, with spars extending an inch or more from the fuselage sides to give the wings some additional strength when installed. The upper fuselage insert has two square holes in the top around half way along, which can either be filled by a blanking piece, or a part that has holes in for the Schräge Musik upward-firing cannon that the German Nachtjäger used to full effect, flying under the bomber stream picking them off where the defences were usually not present. The underside insert has a separate "nose", which contains troughs for the (potential) four ventral cannons. The cannon barrels are supplied on a frame that allows the two outside barrels to be removed and used in isolation from the frame, while the barrel plugs are supplied on a similar frame that allows the outer plugs to be removed, leaving the two central ones correctly spaces for installation. Careful installation here is key to get the plugs correctly aligned with the surrounding part. This is then installed along with the rest of the ventral insert, which has plenty of cartridge chute slots cut out, with lots of nice detail engraved into the surface. The nose cone is similarly well detailed, and covers up the foot well of the pilot, which is surprisingly close the front of the aircraft. The tail cone is finished off with a bumper bulge, and the very tip, which is on the clear sprue, and has a clear red cover, so will need a little paint and masking fluid to keep it safe during main painting.

Moving on to the wings, the ailerons and flaps can be set at an angle to give some variation, and are consequently supplied as separate parts. In order to show the flaps deployed however, you need to remove a little of the rear of the wing in between the hinges on the underside, in order to accommodate the drooped flaps. A set of detail parts are installed in the upper half of the wing to give some detail to the flap hinge area and provide the hinge points in the middle of the outer section. The top is added sealing a small intake in place, and the engine nacelle is built up around the moulded in top. Two bulkheads are installed first, with the forward part going through the underside of the wing skin to rest on the inside of the upper wing part. A roof skin is then inserted between them and part of the retraction mechanism is added, with the nacelles shrouding them and another ribbed rear bulkhead closing the rear of the nacelle off from view. A pair of auxiliary intakes are added to the wing leading edge on either side of the nacelles, and for good measure, a landing light on the port side, which has a plastic reflector and bulb moulded into a small slab, and a clear cover which is glued into the wing edge. Some careful painting and gluing will really pay dividends here, but don't forget to mask off the framing. The wings are then installed onto the sides of the fuselage, slipping over the stub spars that should prevent them from gull-winging later. The inner flap is slotted into two holes in the wing and engine nacelle, and it would seem to be sensible to add this with the wing, rather than after it as the instructions advise. The outer flaps and ailerons are made up from two halves that are assembled around the T-shaped hinges that would theoretically allow them to remain mobile. Whether you want to or not is a question for you to answer, but to get the correct flap angle, it would probably be best to succumb to the glue. The same is true of the elevators on the tail, which has a slight dihedral before terminating in the two rudder/stabilisers. The rudders can be left mobile too, and trim-tab actuators are added during construction, before they are added to the tabs at the end of the elevators.

The engine nacelles are finished off with the cowlings, and it is interesting to note that no engine parts are provided, as the cowling contains the annular radiator blocks, which prevent any sign of the engine from showing. The cowling parts have moulded in central section that is held in place by stator vanes, and the ten radiator panels are installed in pairs within this part. A central prop shaft is then inserted from behind and the assembly affixes to the fluted stub attached to the blank front of the nacelle. A dry fit would be advisable to see what is visible from the outside before spending the time painting everything. The exhaust stubs fix into the slots on each side of the nacelle, and have a foreshortened stub to the rear, which fits into the tubular flare suppressors that these aircraft were fitted with. The tubes are made up from two halves, with a perforated front part that allows the air to blow in and usher the exhaust gases out of the rear. A scrap diagram shows the correct positioning of the tubes and their front pieces, which will need careful alignment during fitting. The instructions are given for just one side, with the parts mirrored on the other, as they were the same units, not handed as was the case with some twin engined aircraft to counter torque from the engines.

Work moves on to the canopy here, and again you have a choice of three opening sections, depending on which decal option you have chosen. The bubble-topped section is suitable for the Naxos equipped example, while the other two have different sized slide-back panels on the port side. Happily, there are several parts installed to the inside of the canopy, which is good news from a detailer's point of view. Take care with which parts you install though, as some are optional for different aircraft. The short windscreen attaches to the nose, with the rear section also fixed closed, while the central section can be posed open or closed at your whim, hinging on the starboard side. A small "mouse-hole" gap in the rear canopy is filled with a styrene part and the canopy is complete. If you're careful with masking and painting, you should have a lovely crystal clear canopy when finished, with minimal distortion.

The landing gear comprises of the two main struts and the long, sharply rakes nose gear strut, which was a first in its class, and of great interest to the allies post-war. The wheel rotated 90^o to lie flat against the roof, which made it a great space-saver in this crowded area of the aircraft. It is built up from two halves, with a separate oleo scissor, so careful clean-up of the seam will be needed. The retraction legs and jacks brace it against the bay roof, giving it that prototypical forward slant. The bay cover is supplied as one part to be used in the closed option after removing the hinges, and is cut into two for the open option, with a retraction jack installed for the larger part. A crew access ladder is also hidden in the nose, and fits into a slot to the side of the nose gear bay. If displayed deployed, the ladder part attaches to the forward hinged door, but if closed, the door is glued flush with the surrounding fuselage.

The main gear legs are more complex, having two tyres side-by-side on a Y-shaped leg that has two sub-axles attached to the central one, holding each tyre separately. The inner hubs are built up separately from the wheels and outer hubs, and attach to the square axles, one each side. The retraction equipment is made up from a number of parts, and should result in some rather well detailed legs. The gear bay covers are supplied as one part, with the hinges cut off for an in-flight pose, or cut into two equal parts to pose the gear down.

The closing stages of construction deal with the props, which are moulded as a single three-blade unit, with boss and back-plate separate parts. The earlier A-2 then fixes to the nacelles, while the later A-5 and A-7 props had a spacer between them and the cowling, probably to assist with cooling.

Common sense will have all the fiddly aerials and antennae added last, and for this kit that fairly bristles with them, it is an absolute must. Sure enough, this is the case, and the three options without the Neptun set have their prominent nose "whiskers" set at a 45^o to the vertical, to cut down on interference. The Neptun and Naxos equipped aircraft has different antennae that are set vertical, and are supplied as complete units with the base moulded in. The two Neptun equipped A-7s even have different rear antennae from eachother, but share a common base, which attaches to the slot in the rear of the fuselage that should have been opened up earlier in the build. Two whip-antennae and a long blade antenna are installed on the underside of the fuselage, and downward turned antenna protrudes from the absolute rear of the fuselage. The upper side has a large antenna mast attached to the rear of the canopy, to with a pair of lines go to the tail booms, as well as the optional Schräge Musik autocannon barrels, as well as a pair of sensors on top of each engine cowling. The circular Peilgerät 6 IFF transponder aperture has the sensor installed in the recess, and is then covered by a clear part, which is in turn covered by a decal once painting is complete, which gives the silver "sunburst" pattern as well as framing details and a warning in German not to tread on the panel. Under the wings there are the usual dipole aerials for radar detention, plus the pitot probe on the port wingtip, and the aileron mass-balances, which are the last parts to be installed.

The decals are printed in Italy, and are in perfect register on my review sample, with good colour depth and clarity. Two of the decals have silver as their primary colour, which is again well printed. The details on the instrument panels are excellent, and all of the stencils are legible, but unintelligible to this non-German speaker.

From the box you can model one of the following aircraft, all of which have the same upper surface colours of mid-grey mottle over a pale grey, but differ on the underside colours where noted:

• A-7 W.-no. 310189 of 3./NJG 3 at Grove, Denmark, April 1945 – white spiral spinners. Alternative markings for W.-no. 310200 fuselage codes also provided.
  
• A-2 W.-no. 290123 of 1./NJG 1 Westerland/Sylt, Germany, April 1945 – Black undersides and lower fuselage sides. Black spinners with white spirals.
  
• A-7 W.-no. 310213 of 1./NJG 1 Westerland/Sylt, Germany, April 1945 – Black spinners with white spirals.
  
• A-5 W.-no. 420331 of Stab I./NJG 1 Münster-Handorf, January 1945 – white spiral spinners. Alternative markings for W.-No. 310215 with no squadron codes and black spinners with white spirals.

A total of six in all, including alternative Werk Numers. All aircraft have low vis balkenkreuz on their upper sides, and are portrayed without swastikas on their tails, probably due to their deprecated status in Germany, the home of Revell. Check your references to see whether they would be appropriate and apply spares or aftermarket crosses if the mood takes you, and the local laws permit.

A separate scrap diagram shows the layout of the walkway markings that were often seen on the upper surfaces of the 219, although not always. Check your references before application to be sure.

Conclusion

This is a major new release from Revell, and a Godsend for 1:32 scale modellers that are interested in this period. Thankfully, Revell have got the balance right (IMHO), and detail has been provided throughout the major points of interest. Construction appears to be straight-forward, and while some of the diagrams had me scratching my head a bit, sharper minds should have no trouble.

The model builds up into an impressive replica of this innovative late war night fighter, with an impressive 52.4cm wingspan and length of 57.8cm, with a good couple of centimetres courtesy of all those aerials.

I'm going to be hard pushed not to build this immediately, as it's just so nice. I will probably force myself to wait until Eduard or some other obliging aftermarket provider comes up with additional detail sets, as I believe that this kit deserves plenty of attention lavished on it. I think I already mentioned my fondness of this aircraft, didn't I?

If you're looking for some inspiration, have a look at the video below, which although without commentary, shows some rare footage of the 219 captured and tested by the Americans after WWII. Notice that they flew it without the nose mounted antennae, which caused so much drag that the aircraft's top speed was reduced by as much as 30mph.

Some photos of the completed model below show what is possible:





Very highly recommended.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

[Radleigh]

Wowzers, certainly looks the part. I think I'm going to wait on buying the kit though, it's going to be about for a while yet. I've no room or time! Can't wait to see some built up though, really does look good.

Question is though, whats Revell going to do in 1/32nd next from this era?

[avro683]

Thanks for the review Mike, Revell have not let us down here. Have you seen Ted Taylor's build yet?

[Mike]

Yes, I think I have... up to his usual standards I can't wait to see what aftermarket comes out to make it even more of a show-stopper

[Iain Ogilvie]

It's lovely isn't it!

Part of me wants to make a start - part wants to wait and do some research first - not sure what will win - and I'm on holiday this week

Iain

[Mike]

Why wait? I'm having conniptions here trying not to start it... However, I want to do a "proper job", so will probably load it with aftermarket if at all possible

[Carts]

Must..................keep................hand.............out..................of ..........................wallet..........Oh Sod it, I'm going in!

[jacksdad]

Mike. Now that you had a good grope what AM stuff do you think it really needs, apart from seat belts?

Steve

[HL-10]

Damn it Revell! I've only just found space for the He-111 and I've still got the Ju-88 and Arado to do!

"Dear Santa, I've been a really good boy this year ( ) so please can I have............."

[Mike]

Same here... I have the identical stack of 1:32 Revell goodies bowing my ceilings, and wonder whether the finished items will take up more room than the boxes. Zwilling He.111 next?

[HL-10]

Zwilling He.111 next?

As long as you do a Gigant to go with it!

[Mike]

It's so tempting, isn't it?

[woody37]

Cracking beast from Revell

[General Jumbo]

I really like the Uhu. I remember a story in the Warlord or Victor annual from when I was a kid about a Luftwaffe pilot and a 219 - it caught my imagination then!

Great model too - well done!

[Iain Ogilvie]

Suitably inspired I've decided to crack on with a fairly 'out-the-box' build - over here - if anyone's interested...

Iain

[Chris Jephcott]

Straight onto the Telford list. I saw them in Parabellum in Brum a couple of days ago and was very sorely tempted then.

It looks stunning.